Interestingly, a single heading called Tournament encompasses the rest of the local game modes. Within Tournament you can choose to play through an entire season and take control of the fate of 1-20 different teams, or you can play through league-specific cups. If you tire of playing alone and have no one else around, FIFA Soccer 10 lets you head online. Naturally, you can play against friends who also own the game, but the EA servers will let you hook up with unknown gamers to play competitively, too. If you do have a buddy next to you, you can head online and play in 2 vs. 2 matches. You can even set up online tournaments. Online play this year is very complete.

What's more, I really enjoyed the incredibly easy-to-use online interface. Setting up your online persona is a snap, and from then on you will have your stats tracked on the leaderboard. Statistics such goals for and against, lifetime results, your personal rank, the average rank of your competition, current win streaks and longest win streaks, as well as connection drops are all featured. The leaderboard is very complete, adding a nice competitive edge to the game. There's even a leaderboard that tracks the overall skill of various countries - making healthy competition an international affair. Outside of the play options and leaderboards, the online play is technically very proficient. If you are hooked up with players with great connections, you'll have a virtually lag-free experience. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Wii owners in the world that simply don't have very good broadband service. Nevertheless, finding games and connecting to players is never an issue.

Naturally, graphics pale in comparison on Wii. However, what's on offer is quite attractive. Players have a stylized, somewhat cartoonish look about them, but are still well-rendered. The bright green pitch helps the players to pop, and the action is nicely captured by the camera angles. Also, the fast-paced action never seems to dip due framerate issues. Disappointingly, stadium atmosphere is only decent - crowds are pixelated blurs and the stadiums often suffer from lots of jaggies. Sound is somewhat of a mixed bag, as well. While Clive Tilsley and Andy Grey do a great job commentating, the ambient effects aren't particularly crisp and the occasional sound bites that emanate from the Wii Remote are very garbled.

FIFA Soccer 10 for Wii is not in the same league as the footie experience found on the other consoles, but there is still an enjoyable and surprisingly deep arcade-sim hybrid to be uncovered. I liked how accessible and accommodating the various control schemes made the game for anyone (including core players). Additionally, the deep, well-implemented online offering gives this title some legs. If you are limited to just one console, or you plan on playing with youngsters, FIFA Soccer 10 for Wii is a quality game that does just enough to satisfy the majority of players' soccer lust.

By
Jonathan Marx
CCC Editor / News Director

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.5

GraphicsThe new, stylized player art is a good choice. However, crowds and stadiums suffer from classic Wii foibles.

3.8

ControlThree different control setups make the game accessible and compelling for any skill level. Of course, none of the options can compare to the precision found on other consoles.

3.5

Music
/ Sound FX / Voice ActingThe commentary is topnotch, but the ambient sounds and Wii Remote utterances are poor.

3.8

Play ValueThe varied modes and deep online offering really bolster the title. Also, gameplay is quite fun, just don't expect to play the game for marathon sessions.

3.7

Overall Rating -
GoodNot an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Action-Packed Gameplay - Non-stop, action packed soccer is the result of the completely redesigned game engine created specifically for the Nintendo Wii. Enhancements to shooting, passing, defense, as well as increased game speed have created a frenetic, exciting, unique soccer experience.

Battle for Glory - Exclusively designed for the Wii, the Battle for Glory mode allows you to make strategic decisions as a manager to achieve "Manager Moments" and earn "Game Boosters" for your team. Set a goal and succeed and your team will enjoy performance enhancements such as Player Focus and Shooting Confidence; fail and watch your team's stats decline.

Enhanced Goalkeeper AI - Goalkeeper AI has been improved to make them more responsive when positioning themselves for a save, while still allowing for juicy rebounds adding to the non-stop soccer theme.

"Strike it System" set pieces - the new set piece system will utilize the Wii Remote creating tense head to head battles on penalties, free-kicks and corners. Each player must time the shaking of their Wii mote perfectly in order to either score or defend free-kicks, penalties and corners adding to the excitement.

Enhanced Social Experience - Social play is a key to the FIFA Soccer 10 Wii experience. Compete against friends and family in multi-game series' that will track stats, create storylines for the matches and create a sense of competitiveness and rivalry in an easy to understand format.

2v2 Online Play - Online gaming has also been enhanced allowing you to play with a friend against two other gamers online proving that teamwork and cooperation will prove essential to succeeding in the online arena. Compete to reach the top of the International Leaderboard.

Multiplayer Tournaments - Play authentic tournaments with as many friends as you'd like as you can now choose to control every team in a tournament! Play with your friends or play against them in this year's Multiplayer Tournament.

All-New Art Style and Feel - Coupled with a new gameplay engine are the new animations and art specifically designed for the Wii. Player models have been built from the ground up to reflect the Wii centric theme. Stadiums have been designed to compliment these new animation changes as well. Contextual animations and special effects will enhance the gaming experience with dynamic sounds and graphics.